Monday, January 22, 2007

Bears-Colts in Super Bowl XLI, but I'm still dwelling on the "How They Got There" angle, off of last night's epic Colts win over the Pats.

Here's the intrigue: Sure, Peyton and Indy exorcised evil BeliBrady ghosts of the past decade, but does it REALLY mean anything?

Beating the Pats in the penultimate game of the season was important. Like "Red-Sox-finally-beating-the-Yankees-in-2004" important.

But if, after winning the 2004 ALCS, the Red Sox went on to lose the World Series to the Cardinals, the actual value of beating the Yankees would have lost most of its significance, even if the symbolic meaning did not.

(Want a great example? Donovan McNabb. The Eagles FINALLY breaking through in the NFC two seasons ago -- despite what it seemed to mean the morning after the NFC title game -- means nothing today. Because he lost -- choked, literally and metaphorically -- in the Super Bowl.)

And so here is the upshot for Peyton Manning and the Colts: It don't mean a thing if they don't win that ring.

Colts win: That said, it sure must feel nice to not just beat the Pats for the AFC title, but to do it in such an unprecedented way.

Pats lose: Whoa. The Pats... chokers? Not just chokers, but record-setting chokers? Not just record-setting chokers, but Tom Brady doing the choking? When he got the ball with a minute to go, who DIDN'T think he'd come down the field and score a game-winning TD? EVERYONE knew it was coming. That's what made his game-ending INT so startling. It was so... un-Brady.

Bears win: The rumbling this a.m. is that Reggie Bush's somersault into the end-zone on his ridiculous TD to put the Saints back into the game motivated the Bears to destroy the Saints. I'm not sure how true that is, but after that play, Chicago played like a team possessed. And no one is going to confuse Rex Grossman with Tom Brady (except that Grossman is going to the Super Bowl and Brady is going home), but Rexy is no Trent Dilfer. Dilfer could never have pulled off that 4-for-4 drive ending in that TD strike.

Saints lose: Does losing before reaching the Super Bowl diminish the Saints' storybook season? Truthfully, yes. Fans barely remember the Super Bowl runner-up, let alone the conference title-game loser. But this Saints team WAS the story of the year in the NFL -- when the city needed it most -- and, even more important, the team's history of suckitude might actually be behind them. The true breakthrough was that they have shed the rep as a punchline.

Looking ahead to SB XLI: Here are the top 3 storylines you won't be able to escape from: (1) Peyton's redemption; (2) Two black head coaches, ensuring that for the first time, a black head coach will win the Super Bowl; (3) Memories of the Bears' 85 team.

More of today's biggest storylines:

Vick/Airport/Pot (Non-)Scandal: Uh, about that hidden water-bottle compartment? It didn't contain any pot. As you survey the over-the-top reaction from sports media last week, one word comes to mind: Oops. (ProFootballTalk correctly calls out the turnaround as suspiciously sketchy.)

Steelers hire Mike Tomlin: It's nice to see the force behind the NFL's "Rooney Rule" -- attempting to give minorities a better chance to become head coaches -- put money to mouth.

Instant-history cynics might note that the Steelers are simply jumping on the NFL's hottest bandwagon of Monday morning: African-American head coaches as the new key component to getting a team to the Super Bowl.

(NFL owners and GMs are nothing if not quick to try to copy the blueprint of winning teams: I'll be curious to see whether this will spark more minority hiring at the head-coach level.)

NFL Coaching Carousel: Jim Mora DID get back to Seattle after all. He signed up to be an assistant for Mike Holmgren and the Seahawks. (Watch your back, Ty Willingham.)

College Hoops Parity Watch: So much for Pitt as a contender. No. 24 Marquette waltzed into Pitt's house and KO'ed the No. 6 Panthers in OT.

MLB Hot Stove: Chase Utley signs 7Y/$85M extension. Worthy of his rise to become the best fantasy 2B in the league.

NBA: Carmelo returns tonight. And NOW the grand experiment of chemistry between Melo and AI begins. This will be fascinating to watch.

As a pats fan I am disappointed that was a game they should not of lost. But when you have a receiver dropping a ball on what would of been 2 easy TD's, that is what happens. The Defense got tired and some there age especially in the LB core started to show. Unfortunetaly as a Pats fan this might single the begginning to the end of the Dynasty. The Patriots are going to need a couple of years to reform the LB core into the group they had in 03/04.

All I have to say is GO BEARS!!!! becuase if you think the Peyton Manning ballwashing is bad now what to see what happens if he actually wins a Super Bowl.

And Shanoff you are correct about the Red Sox of 04/Colts analogy. If the Red Sox lost the world series beating the Yankees would of been meaningless even though there are fraud writers and Red Sox fans that would tell you differently.

Ugh. Somebody go tell the Pats defense that a football is 2 halves. There's really no excuse to this one. There were one maybe two questionable calls, Troy Brown's offensive PI to negate a first down with the Pats up 21-3 and driving, and the hit to Mannings head on the last drive. But that's still no excuse for giving up 32 points in the second half. Credit has to go to Manning (shoot me now please) and the Colts.

I can't really even question the playcalling for the Pats like in the first game. They just didn't have the ball. The only thing that bothered me was not running on 3rd and 4 right before the two minute warning. Run it and get it the game's over. Run it and come up short you force the Colts to call timeout or let the two minute warning come. Colts got off 2-3 plays and gained 20-30 yards in those 17 seconds. That was a dumb call.

Congrats to the Colts though, and especially Tony Dungy, seems like a really nice and classy guy.

Congratulations to Lovie Smith and Tony Dungy on being the first black coaches to lead their teams to a Super Bowl. And isn't it fitting that they'll face each other in "Black History Month?" But, for whom do you cheer? Tony Dungy, who's been through so many disappointments, from being passed over for jobs, to January defeats to the loss of his son? Or Lovie Smith, since everyone loves the underdog? It's going to be an exciting, historical Super Bowl!

as a pats fan, i still feel vomity this morning, which is good, because its good to know even when you get spoiled it still hurts to lose this way.

I will be rooting for peyton/dungy and the colts, because now when the pats colts meet up in the future, it will be about a great game and not one of exersizing demons, much like the afformentioned sox/yanks.

I have to say I'm surprised, I figured Pats fans would be whining and complaining, it's still early. C'mon Pats fans we know you have excuses you want to make, let's hear them, I need this moment to last a little longer.

No excuse from me, There was a couple of questionable calls but nothing I think that really changed the tenor of the game. I more blame are defense for not being able to get off the field and Caldwell for dropping a sure TD that would of made the Colts final TD a game tying TD not a game winning. Meaning Brady would only have to get the Pats in FG range with a minute left. And that could of made a big difference.

Daddy Rosee said... I have to say I'm surprised, I figured Pats fans would be whining and complaining, it's still early. C'mon Pats fans we know you have excuses you want to make, let's hear them, I need this moment to last a little longer.

1/22/2007 09:13:20 AM

hard to whine when we've had a good team for so long. The colts showed guts and took something they wanted bad from a team that didnt have enough left at the end. Not much more you can say.

However, i dont think brady choked...putting up 34 points should win you games more often than not...the defense just couldnt hang in the second half.

more stating the Facts to why the Patriots lost. They did not play well in the second half and lost a game they probably should not of. And there where a couple of key mistakes that cost them the game.

Whinning would be:Something like questionning some of the calls the refs made. IE: That Roughing the Passer Call near the end of the game.

Brady did not choke. He made a mistake and made a bad throw but that was not choking. There was only one choker on the Patriots offense: Reche "My eyes where bugging out of my head so I dropped a pass" Caldwell.

unnoticed, though....the 2 point conversion the colts got. Not only did it require the pats to go down and get a TD at the end (and I didn't think they had much of a shot with only a minute), but if the colts HADN'T have gotten it, then a FG woulda won, not tied.

I think the Colts have the Pats' number. ugh. And if the Colts win the SB (which I kinda don't mind if they do, unless it sets the 2007 precedent for A-Rod maybe getting HIS title), then that means opening night will be Pats-Colts in the dome.

No excuses, we lost, The Colts had more points than we did at the end of the game!

In sad news: Bam Bam Bigelow Dead at 45.Pro-Wrestling great Scott “Bam Bam” Bigelow was found dead in his Florida home yesterday of undisclosed or unknown causes. Bigelow, originally from the Asbury Park area of the Jersey Shore, was known for his fiery tattoo across his head and being very agile for a large wrestler.

Bigelow gained national exposure when he wrestled football legend Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants in Wrestlemania XI.

In July of 2001, he was hospitalized for two weeks after receiving third degree burns over 40% of his body from rescuing children from a forest fire.

While I had never wrestled with or against Bigelow, I did book him for shows when I was booking matches for a promotion in Jersey. He had a huge fan following and an even bigger heart.

For 2 minute drill I will still take Montana or Elway over Favre, Brady and Marino.

Did anyone else notice that when Jim Plunket was awarding Irsay the Lamar Hunt Trophy that he almost said Baltimore.

It was a tremendous game last night. I was happy for Tony Dungy to finally get to the Super Bowl after he got so close with Tampa and then they won the year after he was fired.

I did see Brady just run off the field without shaking hands and Friar Tuck giving Peyton a drive-by handshake. I thought that was pretty classless.

It will be interesting to see what Simmons writes on Wed. or Fri. about the loss. I did not like his column on Friday making his argument why we should root for the Pats and will see if he whines and complains about the Colts getting all the calls last night.

Alrighty! Lets get ready for two weeks of the same 6 stories from every different angle. I love the Super Bowl.

Congrats to the Colts and their fans. I hate to admit it but I have to agree with Daddy rosse, it was the largest comeback and the pats D was just on the field too long. Brady and the O needed a drive or two to give them a breather.

I do think this Pats team over achieved though, and even you Pats-haters have to agree with that.

Now, how about those Bears! Where are all the flapping gums who predicted a Saints blow out? I can't wait to lay big money on them in the Bowl. Seven points is a lot to give.

Simmons was correct, in my opinion, about rooting for the Pats. I mean, this was a team that did all the little things and won as a team, without the superstars. How can you not root for that, even if the same franchise has a recent history of success. I mean, you saw who Brady was throwing to, right? Now look at who Peyton was throwing to. If you were a fan and had no rooting interest in the game (normal rooting interest) I don't see why you would have rooted for the Colts (unless you like the Manning ads)...

I knew the Pats were going to lose after the Colts went up by 4. Brady can't lead his team to game winning TD's, he can only put his team in position to set up game winning field goal attempts. Being down by 4 this was a non worry situation for me. I was already celebrating.

daddy rosee - The Pats fan's right to whine and complain was revoked after the "tuck rule" game, and they are holding to it for the most part (on this blog they are but on others not so much)

Daddy Rosee what the Pat fans are being to Classy for you this morning. I get it now you must be a Chargers fan still bitter over your team really choking.

As for the Patriots that really was not a choke. A 15 point lead at half time against a good offensive team is not a insurmountable lead. Especially when you consider the Colts where getting the Ball to start the second half. Meaning a TD made it a one possesion game.

The Patriots lost but it hard to be a Patriots fan and complain. Sure I am s disappointed they lost but at least they made it to the AFC Championship game I bet there are 14 other AFC Teams that would of love to have been there and had chance to go to another Super Bowl and lost. Oh well, there is always next year.

revscott - I think Gaffney comes down in bounds. He got one foot down, and as soon as he caught the ball, he was looking down to check his feet. It would have been tough, but the rule assumes no one would have touched him. My money would have been on him to get a toe down.

Does anybody else think the Saints game would have gone different had the bogus fumble not been upheld and the bogus offensive interference on Colston not have been called?

Lost in todays day and age it that football is a team game. It takes all members of that team working together to succeed. The Pats personify that. The reason they are successful is because the excel at doing the little things. Anyone who has played the sport and understands it has to enjoy seeing that and respect it.

Little things are why they lost yesterday. Offsides penalties, dropped passes, dumb personal fouls. They don't do those things and they win.

Now I have figured Daddy Rosee out he is a Yankees/ New York Sports Fan and can not stand to see Boston teams successful. And of course when a boston teams loses they get overly antagonistic to get some jollys from all the years of Recent Losing in all sports.

Sadly...I'm already resigned to my Reds being out of contention for the Series.

Carmelo better do well with AI...he's on my fantasy team. lol

The Bears handled the Saints so easily...and we know what the Colts are capable of...that I have no idea who will win that one. I do think it will be high scoring though, similar score to the Pats/Colts.

I was at the Dayton/Richmond bball game on Saturday. With about 2:40 left in the first half, Richmond only had 2 points. They ended up with 8 at halftime. It got to the point where I was felt bad for them!

There isn't a face-guarding rule? You may want to check that...I think that always gets called. If a DB makes no attempt to find the ball and tries to make physical contact or block the face..flags fly.

I think crying about the officiating is totally off on this game. The officials did a good job and ALL of their flags were justified. I thought a few more should have been thrown (both ways).

Dra - Totally with you on the "faceguarding" penalty in the Pats/Colts game. That was ridiculous. But N.E. got away with a pass interference at another point in the game (sorry, I can't reference it, I only remember it happened).

The pho-fumble I am referring to was the one on the kickoff return that was challenged. No reasonable person can argree that that was a fumble. I'm a Packer fan with lots of friends who love the Bears (went to school in Madison - lots of Illinois students there). I didn't care who won that game (but I was rooting for N.O. because of Katrina, worst to first, et al). Anyway, the ball didn't come out until after the returner's SHOULDER hit the ground. Yes, it was jostled a little, but he clearly had control of it when he hit the ground (replay showed his hand moved over the top of the ball to control it). Now, I don't want to alarm anyone, but 70% of the action in Vegas on that game was for the Saints. Just sayin...

All I have to say is GO BEARS!!!! becuase if you think the Peyton Manning ballwashing is bad now Coming from a fan of Tom Brady's team this is hilarious. No one gets fellated more by the media than Tom Brady.

I'd like to take a moment to rub it into the faces of all the ...let me think....okay, Jaguars fans. Where were you guys when the playoff started, huh? Nowhere! On your asses on the couch!HA HA HA! That's even worse than any team that's lost in the last 3 weeks. Your fan base must be so upset! How can you live with yourselves? Don't bother trying to blame the refs for your lousy mediocre record, or the fact that 2 or 3 plays could have gotten you into the playoffs! Where were the Jaguars players? They weren't in the stands yesterday wishing the Colts and Patriots good luck! That's what classy teams do! I'm appalled by the whole thing. It's all just so....insufferable. I hope all the ESPN writers who suck Jaguar balls fall down stairs and break their necks this morninng.

It actually bothered me that the media kept asking Smith and Dungy about how it felt to be the first black coaches in the Super Bowl. I'd have never even thought about it if the media hadn't brought it up.

On PTI last week Wilbon was saying that hopefully one day it wouldn't be a story at all. I'm saying that if the talking heads at the networks hadn't mentioned it, it wouldn't have been a story.

As for the NE/IND game, I was a bit suprised that NE wasn't using their timeouts on that last drive. NE can now try and shop their draft picks to move up and get a receiver.

Anyways, time to see the unstoppable force versus the immovable object. I'm picking the Colts, but I'm gonna regret that.

. It is pass interference by either team when any player movement beyond the line of scrimmage significantly hinders the progress of an eligible player of such player’s opportunity to catch the ball. Offensive pass interference rules apply from the time the ball is snapped until the ball is touched. Defensive pass interference rules apply from the time the ball is thrown until the ball is touched.

Actions that constitute defensive pass interference include but are not limited to:

(a) Contact by a defender who is not playing the ball and such contact restricts the receiver’s opportunity to make the catch.

(b) Playing through the back of a receiver in an attempt to make a play on the ball.

(c) Grabbing a receiver’s arm(s) in such a manner that restricts his opportunity to catch a pass.

(d) Extending an arm across the body of a receiver thus restricting his ability to catch a pass, regardless of whether the defender is playing the ball.

(e) Cutting off the path of a receiver by making contact with him without playing the ball.

(f) Hooking a receiver in an attempt to get to the ball in such a manner that it causes the receiver’s body to turn prior to the ball arriving.

I have not real complaints about the reffing in the Pats/Colts game there where a couple of questionable none calls as well as a couple of calls but you also have to give them credit for not calling PI on Hobbs when Wayne tripprd over his own feet and for getting the Gaffney TD catch call right.

>>Congratulations to Lovie Smith and Tony Dungy on being the first black coaches to lead their teams to a Super Bowl. And isn't it fitting that they'll face each other in "Black History Month?">>

Good God, how true! Due to media over-indulgence I sometimes forget that two excellent coaches will be headed to the Super Bowl. I know it may be too much, but can the race card please be left at the door?

That said, I suppose it's also fitting that Prince is the halftime entertainment?!?! I can only hope that he serves pancakes after his set.

"significantly hinders the progress of an eligible player of such player’s opportunity to catch the ball"

Hobbs significantly impeded the receiver's opportunity to catch the ball. He was not making a play at the ball..simply trying to impede on the offensive player. That's why it's a PI call. Had he turned his head and played the ball...he would have been fine.

The first time it happens...its news. So yes, it is a big deal for Smith and Dungy to be the first black coaches in the SB. It won't be a big deal the 2nd time it happens...but this time around, its a story.

Smaller news...are Steeler fans freaking out over Tomlin? Steelers have had the 3-4 longer than some fans have been alive... there seems to be a panic over the fact that a lot of names and faces synonymous with Steelers will be jettisoned.

It's something to follow..the Steeler D has been very solid for a long time...will there be huge changes?

(obviously I'm a Steeler fan..so I find this far more important than Colts/Bears)

If you want to know why fans get fed up with certain teams, just check out the headline to King's MMQB. He says you "Have to root for Peyton Manning." It's like Dan saying you "have to root for the Saints" or Simmons saying you "have to root for the Patriots."

It isnt the teams I hate, it is the massive media hype that accompanies every story. After reading Simmons' article on Friday, I agreed with his points about the players on the Pats. I would love to have guys like Troy Brown on my team. But we hear over and over again how great and underrated that are, it makes you want to puke. Same thing with Yankee players. Guys like Jeter and Rivera are great players, but we hear from the media and fans over and over about them, that is what causes the backlash.

I was rooting for UF in the BCS game, but I didnt turn on the WWL for 2 days afterward, because I knew every story would be about how great UF was. After the SB, I wont be able to watch ESPN for a week no matter who wins. It's just the age we live in. Over-hype things to the point of nausea and then watch the backlash.

- Yankees- Peyton Manning- Tom Brady- That John Mellancamp song- Any pop star- Any movie coming out in the next 2 weeks (how many Alpha Dog commercials were on during the playoffs)- Any pro or college championship team- McCain, Hillary, Obama

It will be interesting to see what Simmons writes on Wed. or Fri. about the loss. I did not like his column on Friday making his argument why we should root for the Pats and will see if he whines and complains about the Colts getting all the calls last night.

I'm a big Simmons' fan (and I know he has his critics throughout the web), but even I thought Friday's column was an over-the-top whine about how insecure and sad he is that not everyone loves his wonderful team. Is he serious? After he says he grew up hating the dominant, non-Boston teams in baseball, hockey and footbal as he grew up? What's different now? Oh right, it's the Pats, they're perfect and wonderful and scrappy and if you don't love them and love them winning and love seeing them on TV all the time, you must be a contributor to the downfall of civilization through your hater-ish ways. What a joke.

Anyway, yes I'm looking forward to his next column. I'm a little surprised he didn't have a special one ready to go for today.

I'm a little nervous about LeBeau leaving. But I think Tomlin will take care of it on the defensive side.

I'm more concerned with who is going to be the offensive coordinator. Grimm will probably leave, so I'm not sure who Tomlin has in mind, but he needs to figure it out. It could be a long year for the Steelers next year.

We are so conditioned to think every minor contact on a pass is PI. I personally don't think that was a catchable pass, therefore not pass interference. They could have called illegal contact (another penalty I despise) but I am glad they let it go.

Seeing Pats fans groan about that no-call after winning how many games against the Colts by manhandling their receivers is good for a chuckle though.

I don't think the offense will lose anything (and after this year..plenty to improve) as Tomlin is a run-first guy.

I guess its hard to see things on the defensive side. Since the D has been good...any change is more likely to cause negative effects than positive as there is more room to go down than to improve. That's what's scary. I think the Steelers have: LBs, DTs for 4-3 but don't have the CBs, DEs for it. Well..we'll see.

I'll put this in terms you'll appreciate: UF lost last year to unranked, NIT-bound South Carolina. TWICE. Neither in OT. Isn't OT kind of a tie? So to play 40 minutes of basketball against the #24 team and come out even shouldn't, I think, be a sin punishable by death.

I'm a Pats fan (albeit not as much as I root for the Red Sox), and I have to say, I'll be rooting for the Colts in the Super Bowl.

I thought the officiating in last night's game was pretty good, but not perfect by any means (for either side), but that ultimately what cost the Pats the win was just that they were too slow on defense (particularly the linebackers). The Colts did a great job of exposing that by balancing the run and passing games, and ultimately just made one or two more big plays than the Pats did.

If the Pats choked, it was their defense, not Brady. I think they didn't choke as much as they just got outplayed by a better team.

The Pats have had such a great run in games like these during the past few years, so they were due to lose one of them, weren't they? (For the record, every Pats fan knows the Tuck Rule game was crap, right?)

And really, Tony Dungy and Marvin Harrison seem like pretty good guys. Can't say I'm looking forward to the 59 Peyton Manning ads that are out there, but the Mastercard ones actually are kind of funny (until they get viciously overplayed).

Look, my basic point is that I don't think Pats fans are really being that whiny about all this. It was a great game, and one that the Colts won, and that's pretty much it as far as I think...

drakeep, I don't know that everyone worries about the fact that not everyone loves their team the way Simmons seemed to on Friday. It's one thing to hate all dominant teams until that team is yours -- I agree that everyone does that. But I don't know that everyone gets all in a tizzy about the fact that it's now your turn to be hated. Since you're winning, I'd think most people enjoy it, at least a little. Simmons, I think, feels a particular need to defend himself because he can't take the poor put-upon fan position for the Sox or Pats any more, and he hates to be compared to the Yankees or their fans. I just think Friday's column was too much.

I love living in Chicago right now. Snow on the ground, every FREAKING person wearing Bears gear, no one working since all we can do is talk about the game....and all the "experts" predicting an Indianapolis win by a touchdown or so.

Keep bringing the disrespect. The Bears feed off of it.

I'll go out early and call the Super Bowl: Bears 34 - Colts 24. TJ and Cedric the Benson each score a TD, Hester runs a punt or kickoff back for another, and the D contributes courtesy of a Vasher INT TD return. And Rex looks awesome, throwing for 250 with no INTs (he's no Trent Dilfer...just replay that 4-for-4 TD drive capped by the Berrian catch to prove it).

Daddy Rosee,At first you annoyed me, then you pissed me off, by your third comment I felt sorry for you, you're just a sad, pathetic little man that can't find any joy in his own life. In order to find joy you have to make everyone else feel just as bad as you do. "Misery loves company". I pity you.

As for the game, I could nitpick a few things, but no point to it. If the Pats had won, there would have been things Indy fans could nitpick on as well. The only game changing event was the Colts play in the second half. The Pats were outplayed. Indy wanted it more and Congrats to them in there fans.

I hope they do win the Super Bowl. As a longtime Sox fan I know what perpetual losing is like and it sucks, I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Well maybe Daddy Rosee...

You know, I was going to post a bunch of Trent Dilfer stats from the 2000 post-season (like I did to defend Cal Ripken), but i couldnt do it. His stats are horrible.

Oh well, my memory has him playing well back then. He was just what the Ravens needed, a QB who didnt make mistakes. The good thing about Trent was that you knew what you would get from him that post-season. With Rex, you have no clue and that is the scary part for Bears' fans.

I agree. But I don't know why people are so surprised that the guy would defend his point of view. It's not he's calling people who don't like the Pats "soulless" like some people. But he makes a good point about them playing the game at a high level.

He writes from a fan's perspective, right. So that's what it was a fan's perspective. And because of that he's a joke?

Pats fans are not being whiny. Most I've talked to and read on here have said they expected this because Manning is a good QB, and Belichek and Brady are not as invincible as everybody thinks they are. Anybody remember Phil Jackson and the 2004 Lakers. Everything can't always go the way of the 'gods'.

As a Bears fan. This is the greatest day as a sports fan I've had in a looonnngg time. Here's a question I have though. In late August, many picked the Bears to represent the NFC, halfway through the year, they were the consensus NFC champ, Yet, in late December, everybody wanted to play that "I'm being unique, and going against the obvious 13-3 team that's clearly better than every other team in their conference." Well, guess what. They were the best team in the conference. So much for being the insightful sports analysts. In fact some poster on this blog should be dead today, because (I don't have time to look it up) they said they'd bet their LIFE the Bears were not making the SB. My comment to that was, the NFL is full of parity, and any playoff team could make it.

My sentiment throughout the year? Hated the bashing. I feel they got justified attention earlier in the year, and then have been hated since. If I'm offended as a fan, I can't imagine how the players are feeling. Although I think we saw a little of that yesterday.

Yea i lose respect for your college bball opinion everytime you say stupid stuff like that. Losing 3 times to ranked teams (once in OT and once in double OT on the road) is a sign you cant "contend" ha ha wow... even funnier to know Pitt beat an FSU team that Florida couldn't...

As a MN fan, the Tomlin hire was a surprise and tough to hear. He was enjoyable to have coaching the defense. He's always fired up.

I was hoping we could hold him for a couple more years and eventually replace Childress, who might have the least amount of fire I have ever seen. Tomlin will be a great coach. I believe hiring the young guys (payton, mangini) is the best way to go. Pitt should be happy.

FIRST OF ALL LET'S GET THE TUCK RULE STRAIGHTNFL Rule 3, Section 21, Article 2, Note 2: "When a Team A player is holding the ball to pass it forward, any intentional forward movement of his arm starts a forward pass, even if the player loses possession of the ball as he is attempting to tuck it back toward his body. Also, if the player has tucked the ball into his body and then loses possession, it is a fumble."So basically, the ref made THE RIGHT CALL in the tuck rule game. If the rule is dumb that's another story. You can't blame the Pats because the Ref was bound by a dumb rule. (let's not mention the fact that the NFL still hasn't changed that rule...)

As far as last night's game goes, I think that Brady was very good. He put all sorts of points on the board and would've had more if Reche "Ricochet" (Berman's nickname) Caldwell had, A. not dropped a wide open TD, B. not dropped a wide open first and goal, and C. gotten the call on what was obviously pass interference.

The bottom line is that Brady has no receivers and he still had them in the game. The defense gave the game away. And even with all the defense did to lose the game, Brady still almost won it.

Props To: The refs for making a great call on the Gaffney play and on the Reggie Wayne tripping himself play, Gaffney for a crazy play, Brady for having a good game, Peyton for having a great 2nd half.

No Props To: The refs for not making the PI call in the endzone, Pats 2nd half defense, 1st half Peyton, Reche Caldwell (obviously).

Now for an angle that you might not have heard...What happens if Tom Brady does the very Tom Brady thing? If the Pats win, what do people say about Peyton?He did all he could?-OR-He threw the Pick 6 and can't beat the Pats?

And if you even think about the latter, how is it fair to say how well Peyton played if it comes down to what Brady does? Clearly Peyton realized that's what would happen, hence the head-between-the-legs-position.

Note: Anybody who says that the latter wouldn't cross their mind is lying to themselves.

For the record, when I said that all Pats fans know the Tuck Rule game was crap, it's because I think most Pats fans know the rule is crap, not that the refs made the wrong call. I mean, seriously, the rule is crap, right?

This may have been said but I don't feel like reading through over 100 comments. I don't remember which TD it was, but one of the Patriots TD's never should have counted. It was the one where the Colts player shoved him out as he was coming down. That was a correct call. However, and the announcers said this, the receiver was out of bounds while the ball was in the air and never re-established himself. So the TD should have been negated. Did the Colt's get some calls? Yes, but so did the Pats, including that TD that never should have counted

You know what the over looked thing in that Tuck Rule play is the Ref's actually missed a call. If you go back and look at the tape Woodson actually hits Brady in the head which I believe is "Roughing the Passer" but the Raiders Fans and Patriot Haters will always say the refs got the Tuck Rule Wrong.

Go Back and Look at the Tape either way that was the Patriots ball and it actually should of been 15 yards closer to the End Zone.

Simmons is an idiot!!! he was born in 1969 but here is a quote from the article. "And you know what? It worked! Indy went three-and-out and Manning banged his thumb on somebody's helmet; CBS even showed a replay of Manning telling backup quarterback Jim Sorgi, "Be ready." Instantly, I remembered Wilt Chamberlain's famous knee injury in Game 7 of the '69 Finals, when Wilt took himself out in the fourth quarter and the Celtics ended up winning their 11th (and last) title of the Russell Era. This was like Wilt, The Sequel. Manning had an out, the Pats would win, and we'd spend the next two weeks making jokes about his thumb. Seemed like a perfect ending to me."

cmfost, actually, that perfect view was blocked by a reporter. There was a very clear view from the other side of the field that Gaffney did step out about a step or two before he jumped. About half of his foot was OB. But the refs weren't looking for it during the challenge so it wasn't called. Very similar to the Kordell Stewart TD catch about 10 years ago.

drakeep, he didn't say soulless (and as someone who was rooting for the Saints, I agree that Dan's use of that term was ridiculous), but he did say something along of the lines of the fact that not everyone loves this Pats team is a bad sign for the future of sports. And the detailing of everything this Pats team has been through -- as if they aren't overexposed and lauded by the media enough anyway, or as if he was showing us all the light so we could all say, "Yes! I love the scappy Pats!" like he wants us too -- was just too much for me, even from a fan giving a fan's perspective. I certainly don't expect him to be objective or detached, but I expect him (and frankly, most fans) not to expect everyone to fall in line with loving their team as much as they do, and not get overly bent out of shape when people don't. That's all.

Lenny I guess you do not have an HDTV because they had a perfect shot right down the back line of the end zone and they actually showed a couple shots that showed he never stepped out. Even the annoucers said that Gaffney did a great Job of being aware of the end line and stay in bounds. None of them definetly said he stepped out of bounds.

Dude, I saw half of his foot in white. I don't have HD but I know what I saw. This was from the other side of the field, and it was very clear that half of his foot was out of bounds. It was the back of his foot on white turf, and the front of his foot on blue. I don't know what announcers you were listening to, because I never heard them say that.

I only saw the one replay where at best you could say it was hard to tell whether or not he stayed in... if there was another replay from the opposite sideline, I never saw that... was that during the game telecast?

But really, it doesn't matter, does it?

Lenny, Hi-Def is where it's at man. Trust me, makes a huge difference in sports.

Ok, my roommate, his girlfriend, my fiance, and I all saw it and all said the same thing when we saw it. HIS FOOT WAS HALF OUT OF BOUNDS a few steps BEFORE he jumped to catch the ball. Most of the replays just showed the jump, catch, and push-out, but one replay they showed more of showed his foot out of bounds. I know what I saw and so do the other 3 people I was watching with.

I think the Vick thing is a cover-up. Why have a bottle with a secret compartment? Why else would he be such a slacker? This has Ricky Williams 2.0 written all over it.

Anyone notice Team USA got a meaningless win over the Dutch? In a non-olympic year, I'll take that.

I'm still shocked the Colts won. I can hardly even type that sentence.

For everyone complaining about over-hype on this and a million other blogs: Stop watching ESPN. They have a business to run, and if people didn't watch, they wouldn't be able to sell ad time.

So your team didn't win, big deal. This is one of the most interesting matchups we could have. Mr. unpredictable vs. Mr. Choke. Urlacher crushing addai and Freeney stripping the ball from Rexy.

No one is talking about this, but I was shocked that Harrison has lost a step. He couldn't get separation, and in the first half it was glaring. I think one of the second half fixes is that Manning gave up on Harrison and the deep routes.

He played well in the second half, but I still don't like Manning's play calling.

"But replay showed something else: Gaffney was out of bounds before making the catch, which should have made him ineligible to catch the pass. So it was a tainted touchdown that shouldn't have counted."

Parcells is done. I never really thought he was that good anyway. He always belittles his players and that does nothing to help a team. He won a couple Super Bowls. So did Shanahan and we're not calling him one of the greatest ever.

I think it's funny that people are pissed off NOW at Patriots fans for not being whiny enough after the loss. To the point of trying to antagonize them over details. So if someone fights back over one of the details, it's like "See, I told you you're a bunch of spoiled winners who don't deserve the team you had"

"the defense wilted as the game went along, worn down from last week's slugfest in San Diego, the flu and a glaring lack of healthy bodies. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, cramped pass rushers were getting their legs massaged on the bench"

"they whistled Brown for the same exact pick play that New Orleans used to spring Reggie Bush for an 86-yard TD earlier in the day (you know, the same pick play that every team uses and never, ever, EVER gets called) "

"as well as the aforementioned bogus roughing-the-passer call that moved Indy from the 27 to the 12 and apparently isn't allowed to be mentioned ever again"

"30 years from now, nobody will remember that the Patriots needed only to convert third-and-4 to win the 2007 AFC Championship Game."

Do you honestly think that Tomlin was hired because he is black and that is what is "hot" right now? Let's ignore the fact that on Saturday reports surfaced that Tomlin was the choice BEFORE the Championship games. The Steelers have had only 2 coaches in the last 38 years and they obviously picked someone that they hope will last another 15 years - so I don't think they'd follow any fad and I'm sure the Rooneys would be insulted to hear that.

Bill Belichick coaching LT and other Bolts in Pro_Bowl should be interesting!News: "According to the Boone County Sheriff's Department, Bengals defensive back Johnathan Joseph was a passenger in a vehicle that was weaving around 2:15 Monday morning. When deputies stopped the vehicle, they said they detected an odor of drugs. Police said a search turned up a bag of marijuana, and Joseph was charged with possession."

After Simmons, Gallo is the one guy that I never miss an article from. This paragraph was simply priceless.

Quotations always need their proper context. But sometimes they're better without context. This is one of those cases. Following the game Sunday, Peyton Manning said: "I don't get into monkeys." Now, you can Google that phrase and find the AP article with the full quote and what prompted it. Or you can just imagine we live in a world in which a reporter asked Manning after reaching his first Super Bowl: "Dude, I hear you're into monkeys." I suggest the latter.

b1b in mn - you're an idiot. It's okay, you're in great company with all the other morons who keep harping on the "Good Rex/Bad Rex" storyline.

I'll remind all of you, our "hot and cold," "unpredictable", "worst QB in a Super Bowl ever" (thanks, Don Banks, for that last one), is at last check 18-6 as a starter in the NFL. He was second in the NFL (behind Bulger, I believe) in games with a QB Rating over 100. Yesterday, his 2nd half passing rating was 105.4 (yes, he had a rough first half - part nerves, part the fact that the Bears whole game plan was pounding away with the running game). 8 games this season the Bears scored more than 30 points, all with Sexy Rexy leading them.

Oh yeah, and all that in his first full season as a starter.

Good/Bad Rex discussions are all a farce. Please, keep it up. It'll make the post-Bears blowout in the Super Bowl Manning face (while Rex is clutching the MVP award) all the more sweet....

(Oh, and EVERYONE in Chicago is THRILLED that the Bears are a touchdown underdog....just where we like to be - playing with a chip on our shoulder).

Good choice. and practical. Why retool a good defense all at once? LeBeau won't coach that many more years (and only has 1 on contract I think) so stay in 3-4 as you retool personnel for the 4-3 if needed.

Brady didn't choke. He played a really good game, and so did Peyton. At the end he had to drive 80 yards for a TD in 1 minute with 2 timeouts. It's doable, but not expected (which is how I would define chokiing). Time was running out and Brady needed to try and force a ball ... interception ... ball game. But I don't see how that's choking.

What happens if Tom Brady does the very Tom Brady thing? If the Pats win, what do people say about Peyton?

I hope they would say what my buddies and I were saying as Brady started that last drive: well, Brady's gonna throw the TD, but this thing wasn't Peyton's fault. Great second half, and a clutch performance after the thumb thing.

He was second in the NFL (behind Bulger, I believe) in games with a QB Rating over 100.

But he was also tops in the leaguye in games with QB rating under 40. This season, there was really only one way to describe his performances: Good Rex/Bad Rex. Yesterday, though, Bad Rex just happened to not show up. We got Meh Rex for the first half and Pretty Good/Clutch Rex for the second. Hoinestly, it was kinda weird.

Yes, Grossman led the league in games with a QB rating under 40 - I just don't get all the Good/Bad Rex discussions.

Looking at his season, the following games were bad: Arizona (inexcusable, but he might have been lax in his preparation), Miami (against a great defense, though), New England (on the road, against a great defense, and the Bears were still in the game until the end), the 2nd Minnesota game (on a really brutally bad weather day, against a good defense), and the last game against Green Bay (Bears had nothing to play for, Rex admittedly didn't prepare too much). With the exception of Arizona and Green Bay, his bad games came against teams with good defenses - teams, in other words, that made a LOT of QBs look bad.

I just don't buy Rex as being such an enigma or wildcard - in big games (with the exception of New England), he's played really well. He's NOT Trent Dilfer (who NEVER could have put up that 2nd half drive that Grossman delivered Sunday) - he's much better.

I think the national media will make a huge mistake if they think Rex is automatically SOOOO much worse than Peyton. Hey, Peyton's a Hall of Famer - no arguments there. But I don't think the drop off from Peyton to Rex is insurmountably steep.

(P.S. Rex should have been the NFC's 3rd QB in the Pro Bowl - not Romo. Just compare the stats....)

Chaddogg~ Can you make that a 32-23 Bears victory...I'll win $12k then!

What drugs is Caldwell on? Those eyeballs were scaring me.

That was a great AFC championhip game. I thought Belichick's answers after the game to the CBS sideline guy were HILARIOUS (very monotone and 3-5 words)! Then they went back to studio and Sims and Marino have their hands in the air as if they were saying "WTF was THAT!?"

I didn't think the officiating was that bad. The back of the endzone catch was so close...if the Colts' defender hadn't touched him, I don't think he would have gotten that second foot down, but who knows. So, because of that rule, you should tell your DBs to lay off??

I hate the colts mostly because i hate peyton manning form his UT days., but you have to respect coach dungy. The man turned around the tampa franchise and has done a pretty good job in indy. Combined with his son's suicide last year you have to really feel good for the man. Regardless I have to root for the bears because if I don't I wont get vah-j-j- privileges from the woman. It makes sense why dan has to root for the gators even though he has no connection to the city other than his wife. I think it should be perfectly acceptable to root for any team that has some connection to your family unless they are playing your team. Luckily for dan N'western will probably never play UF so he wont have to make the hard choice of who to support.

I disagree Heroin Sheik, my brother went to Duke, and there's no way I'd ever root for them, considering my school (BC) has a competitive D1 team.

I think exceptions can be made if your school doesn't have a D1 team, you grew up with a state school, or if your school is non-competitive (read: Northwestern), otherwise, you can't be a sports bigamist.

As a Colts fan I am obviously ecstatic today, as well as a little relieved. I will shamefully admit that I turned the game off shortly in the 2nd quarter from sheer frustration and a desire to not break something, watched a movie, then watched the final 10 minutes of the game. I would definitely not say that Brady choked. I think what he was asked to do with 1 minute on the clock was one step away from impossible and anyone that thinks the result should have been different is delusional.

Some other random thoughts. That fumble call in the Bears game was ludicrous, and everyone that put forth some conspiracy theory that the NFL was going to grease the way for the Saints to go to the Superbowl should feel pretty stupid today. The Bears defense looked great for the most part yesterday, and I am definitely looking forward to this game. It sucks that Indy and Chitown are 3 hours apart by car, and yet I can't remember the last time the 2 teams have played each other in a regular season game. Add on to that that for years the Colts have had a top ranked offense, the bears a top ranked defense, you would think the NFL would want to get that match-up played out at least once. Now we will finally get to see it in the biggest game of the year. I think this could be one of the best Superbowls in a long time..

As to Simmons article on Friday.. here is my rebuttal. Unless you live in the area of a supposed dynasty, you probably aren't going to root for a team to win year after year. It gets boring. Don't give me the crap that "they played as a team", "did the small things", etc. This has nothing to do with me personally despising the Pats for shitting on Indy repeatedly in years past. I wouldn't want to see ANY team win year after year other then the Colts, and that's because I live here. He is right, I would be the same as those NE fans if the rolls were reversed, but I sure as shit wouldn't be surprised when the rest of the country despised my team.Anyway, with that said, I think Simmons needs an enema.. he's still full of shit.

GO COLTS!

And a big congrats to Dungy and Lovie. This Superbowl is a bit of a bitter pill for me, as the Bears are my second favorite team and I really didn't want to see them play my Colts.. oh well.

Maybe in basketball (alright, definitely in basketball), but since 1995, we've won a share of 3 Big Ten football titles (and made bowl games a couple other times). And with Pat Fitzgerald in place as our eventual version of JoePa, we're poised for future greatness (the recruiting experts have all lauded Fitzgerald's recruiting class as one of the tops in the Big Ten this year, behind OSU, Michigan, and Illinois).

As for rooting for a family member's team, I think for spouse's it's okay, or other people if you have no stake in the game. But you can never support your spouse's (or family members') team if they play in the same conference under any circumstances (I don't care how gorgeous she is, if I marry a girl who went to Michigan, I still will never root for them...unless it's bowl season and they're playing an SEC team....)

Bro, as a fellow Bears fan, how can you say you don't understand the Bad Rex/Good Rex stigma? I was at the Bears/Cards game. HE WAS HORRIBLE, and if you want to chalk it up to bad prep, so what, then because of his mental aspect, he's still really bad some games.

Me and my boys that get together to watch every game, always seem to ask as we're cracking open the first beers.... 'Are we getting Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde today?' because we know that if good Rex shows up, it's all over but the credits.

Now, that said, what I'm getting sick of is the bashing he recieves as being a "horrible QB". That I vehemently oppose. When he is on, he is one of the best in the league and I will not argue that. I'll dismiss anybody claiming he is the worst SB QB as either never having watched him play, or they are a fucking retard sports fan trying for hyperbole to justify their hatred of the Bears.

b1b in mn - sorry. Didn't mean to insinuate you made the worst QB in a Super Bowl comment. That was all Don Banks.

I guess I'm just sick of the Good/Bad Rex comments is all. Yeah, he had some bad games - largely against great defenses (with 2 exceptions - Arizona where Rex just played horribly, and Green Bay at the end of the season when his only concern was avoiding injury and he wasn't focused at all).

The larger point is, as jo fer points out, that when Rex is on he's REALLY good - and the fact of the matter is he has been "on" this season far more often than he's been off. If Ron Turner keeps the running game going like he did this past week (which softens up coverage and allows Rex to stretch the field deep), Rex will have another good game in Miami, I think.

I think this game (like most games for the Bears this year), comes down to 2 things, neither of which are Rex Grossman: 1) which defense shows up? (the one that forces turnovers like mad, or the one that gives up tons of yards), and 2) does Ron Turner stick with the running game, and does the O-line get Benson and Jones going?

If those questions are answered the right way for us Bears fans, we'll be Shuffling in Grant Park for a party....

I have largely laid off Dan for supporting Florida over Northwestern, but it is pretty ridiculous. I am a lifelong Buckeyes fan and they will always be my favorite team. As such, I also always hope for the Big 10 to go undefeated in bowl season (even cheering for Michigan on occasion) to validate the strength of the conference and thereby the Buckeyes. I didn't go to OSU, so I also have very strong ties to my alma mater (Army) and will root for Army in their 2 games against OSU (2009-2010) coming up.

The Dan corollary is that my wife went to an ACC school. While none of my schools play her school, I would be a total poser if I liked her team just because I like her. But, as it is, I have season tickets to her school and have a great time there, so by default I have become a huge backer of her school (unless they ever play Army or OSU).

So I think it is only acceptable to grab onto a spouse's favorite team if there is a second compelling reason to do so -- such as having season tickets. But that only counts if the two teams rarely play and you keep loyalty to your favorite team when they do!

as a late 20-something african-american; i must say, i was disappointed the CBS guys didn't ask Tony Dungy "how he felt to be the second black coach to make it to the Super Bowl."

seriously, i became uncomfortable with these sportscasters constantly reminding me of the two coaches race; as if it was some sort of extra-special accomplishment and they weren't ordinarily capable of coaching a champion.

Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith are two outstanding individuals.

with that said, i'm also from Chicago. Go Bears! but i'm excited and worried about this game in two weeks; i can very easily foresee a colts blow-out win. My only hope is that Manning craps the bed because he can't handle the SB pressure.

>>seriously, i became uncomfortable with these sportscasters constantly reminding me of the two coaches race; as if it was some sort of extra-special accomplishment and they weren't ordinarily capable of coaching a champion.>>

Great comments, jizzymc..seriously. The only semi-legit reason I can think of to mention Smith and Dungy's color is to pound it into the thick skulls of intelligentsia poseurs who make excuses that blacks (and other minorities) can't make it without quota crutches that, well, anybody can accomplish anything, skin color be damned. Same theory applies to bassackwards people who still have the mentality that blacks can't float. Ig'nance is ig'nance.

He's NOT Trent Dilfer (who NEVER could have put up that 2nd half drive that Grossman delivered Sunday) - he's much better.

He is much better than Trent Dilfer. But what scares me is that he can also be much worse than Trent Dilfer. In that Rexy can really hurt you with disasterous plays. I'll give you that he played some bad defenses. That could bring a 100 QB rating guy down to, I don't know, a 40-ish, but when you're pulling off 1.3? That's something else entirely. I don't care if it's you're lining up against the 2000 Ravens and you forgot to bring your offensive line with you--a 1.3 should not happen.

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DanShanoff.com is a sports-blog spin-off of my long-time ESPN.com column, "The Daily Quickie." Anchored by an early-morning post of must-know topics, the blog is updated frequently throughout the day with new posts and user comments.